Events : Vauxhall 30/98’s victory at Cholmondley

Vauxhall Motors’ debut at the Cholmondley Pageant of Power resulted in an overall win in the Classic Pre-War Cars regularity class for its 1926 OE-type 30/98 Velox Tourer, and a supercar-matching time for the 2012 VXR Maloo pick-up, which ran in the Autocar Super Car Class.

The 30/98 achieved the result on Saturday, when it set track times of 127.96 and 127.77 in the regularity run, both within 0.13 of a second of the bogey time of 127.83 set in practice. Despite wet conditions, the 30/98 – which is owned and maintained by Vauxhall’s Luton-based Heritage Centre – performed impeccably and demonstrated why it’s still regarded as one of the fastest road cars of its time.

In stark contrast, Vauxhall fielded the latest version of the VXR Maloo pick-up in the Autocar Super Car Class. Competing for the fastest time on track, the 425bhp V8 rear-wheel drive Maloo was up against stiff competition from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. But it still managed a fastest time of just 72.82 seconds on the notoriously tricky 1.2-mile sprint course, beating the more expensive and powerful Noble M600, as well as the Lexus LFA and Chevrolet Corvette.

‘Cholmondley Pageant of Power was a great way for Vauxhall to demonstrate the breadth of its heritage and new-car range,’ said Vauxhall’s PR Manager, Simon Hucknall, who drove both cars at the event. ‘The 30/98 is one of 70 cars that Vauxhall owns and maintains at its Heritage Centre in Luton, and it didn’t miss a beat, despite being driven harder than normal. The Maloo also raised a few eyebrows, its best time within a second of the Merecedes SLS-AMG.’

Showcasing its very latest technology, Vauxhall’s Andrew Duerden demonstrated the European Car of the Year-winning Ampera on the race track during lunch on each day of the event, providing crowds with a taste of how quickly and silently an electric vehicle can perform.

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